Washington Post: A test for the blocks needed to rebuild a nation
The revised strategy for Afghanistan that President Obama will announce Tuesday is expected to focus new resources on training Afghan security forces and shoring up the central government, an approach certain to revive a debate about the possibilities and the limits of nation-building.

Christian Science Monitor: Will healthcare reform drive costs down? A little, report says.
A report released today by the Congressional Budget Office has set out what could be a decisive fault line in the Senate debate over healthcare reform. Proponents say the report shows healthcare reform will do no harm to Americans’ pocketbooks. Critics say that report shows the US is about to undertake a massive and uncertain reorganization of the healthcare industry for “no significant savings.”

CNN: Analysis: Contentious primaries will precede 2010 Senate elections
Sen. Arlen Specter's decision to leave the Republican Party in April handed President Obama a key vote in the Senate, and Specter was rewarded by quickly being endorsed by the president and Democratic leaders in his bid for re-election next year. But not every Democrat got in line behind Obama.

New York Times: Cole Attack Trial Will Test Tribunal System
[Abd al-Rahim al-] Nashiri’s case will be the marquee test of a new tribunal system designed to handle terrorism suspects. But the decision by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to prosecute him before a commission, while putting the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, before a civilian court, has set off a fierce debate.

Politico: GOP establishment scorns purity test
Establishment Republicans are recoiling at a draft proposal before the Republican National Committee that would bar party financial support for candidates who fail to meet eight of 10 issue tests.

Miami Herald: Court rejects grand jury
Gov. Charlie Crist's call for a statewide grand jury to investigate political corruption was rejected Monday by the Florida Supreme Court as too vague, so the governor's office quickly refiled its request. … The Republican governor, a candidate for U.S. Senate, called for the statewide grand jury on Oct. 14, citing a "rash of crimes" by public officials in Florida.

Boston Globe: $68m in solar rebates goes fast
A $68 million state fund to provide sizable rebates to homeowners and business owners who install solar panels was expected to last three or four years. But the program – offering homeowners rebates that averaged more than $13,000 – proved so popular that the $68 million was tapped out in October, just 22 months after the program began.

The Guardian: British sailors detained by Iran en route to Gulf yacht race
Britain was making frantic diplomatic efforts last night to stop a dispute with Iran over the seizure of five British sailors becoming an international crisis. The men were detained six days ago when their racing yacht was intercepted by Iran's navy while on its way from Bahrain to an event in Dubai but the incident was kept secret as the Foreign Office sought to establish what had happened and tried to avoid raising the political temperature.

Jerusalem Post: Palestinians to ask UN for state based on 1967 borders
Palestinian statehood is a "vital" component necessary for regional peace, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, in a message to mark Monday's annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. But amid criticism of Israel's settlement activities during the two-day solidarity event, Israeli officials were bracing for Palestinian diplomats to declare new diplomatic strategies during a General Assembly debate on Monday.

Wall Street Journal: Job Cuts Loom as Stimulus Fades
Highway-construction companies around the country, having completed the mostly small projects paid for by the federal economic-stimulus package, are starting to see their business run aground, an ominous sign for the nation's weak employment picture.